The Barriers of the Central Nervous System (CNS) are a system of regulatory interfaces between the blood and the brain that are essential to brain function and have major impact on the course and treatment of many CNS diseases. The 2012 Barriers of the CNS Gordon Research Conference will present the latest, cutting edge research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that comprise the CNS barriers and will explore state-of-the-art strategies for imaging barrier function and improving drug delivery for the treatment of human disease. The Conference will feature a wide range of sessions, including Barrier Structure and Function, Barrier Permeability and Signalling, Barrier Transporters, Drug Delivery, Barrier Alterations in Disease, Angiogenesis and Brain Tumors, Barrier Imaging, and Other Barrier Systems. Invited speakers will present of a variety of topics, ranging from biochemistry, molecular genetics, structural biology, and to disease pathophysiology, imaging, oncology, pharmaceutical sciences, and clinical therapy. The Conference will bring together a broad range of clinical and basic scientists who are at the forefront of Barriers research, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an ideal avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented in the Barriers of the CNS field.